Pitbull found dumped in Aldi bag in UK park put to sleep after RSPCA discover it is banned breed

The dog was hours from death when he was found abandoned in a park
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A pitbull type dog who was found dumped in an Aldi bag for life in a UK street has been put to sleep after it was discovered he was a banned breed.

Stanley was hours from death when he was found abandoned in a park in Vermont Grove, Peterborough in September.

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Vets and RSPCA workers were horrified by his condition, describing Stanley as just skin and bones, and said he needed life saving treatment to survive.

But sadly, nearly two months on, Stanley has had to be put to sleep by the RSPCA after it was discovered he was a pitbull terrier type dog – a banned breed, which meant legally he could not be re-homed.

RSPCA staff have been devastated after Stanley the Pitbull had to be put to sleepRSPCA staff have been devastated after Stanley the Pitbull had to be put to sleep
RSPCA staff have been devastated after Stanley the Pitbull had to be put to sleep

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said staff at the charity had been left devastated by the news and described the legislation that led to his death as ‘outdated and ineffective.’

The spokesperson said: “We are all absolutely devastated that because Stanley has been identified as a prohibited type of dog - under Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act - we were legally unable to rehome him.

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"This decision is completely out of our hands; and means he has effectively been sentenced to death by legislation which we believe to be outdated and ineffective.

“The RSPCA has been doing everything legally possible and available to us to help Stanley. Given what he has been through, he, like so many dogs, deserved a second chance. We have explored a number of options which we hoped would allow for Stanley to be legally kept but none have been possible and because of this cruel and ineffective law he had to be put to sleep.

“This is a tremendously upsetting situation for all involved in the care of Stanley and we would have loved nothing more than to have found him the loving home he deserved but, unfortunately, the law does not allow us to do this. This is why the RSPCA opposes breed specific legislation (BSL) and would like to see it repealed.

“No one could fail to have been moved by those awful photos of a starving pup left to die in a shopping bag. He endured so much - and he’s been let down firstly by his owners and secondly by a law which is completely unfair and is failing to protect the public. The law needs to change so more dogs - like Stanley - aren’t needlessly put to sleep because of how they look.

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“Anyone who feels heartbroken like us about this poor pup’s story, we would urge them to support our campaign to end BSL by contacting their MP through our campaign’s page.”

Four types of dogs are prohibited from being owned or kept in the UK. These include pitbull terriers, Fila Brasilieros, Dogo Argentinos and Japanese Tosas.

An appeal for information was launched on 6 September after Stanley was discovered in the park to try to find the person responsible, but the culprit has yet to be found.

Anyone with information should call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.

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